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Will Ryan
| birth_place = United States | occupation = Voice actor, singer, musician | yearsactive = 1966–present }} William Frank Ryan (born November 13, 1939) is an American voice actor, singer and musician. He achieved his breakthrough as a voice actor throughout the 80s leading into the 90s when he provided the voice of Petrie in the 1988 animated classic The Land Before Time. He is also known for his voice work in the Christian radio drama Adventures in Odyssey and Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin. Biography After growing up in Cleveland, Ryan is well known for singing about the American West. In summer 1966, Will's earlier band, Wead, played a gig in Wellington, Ohio. In late 1970s he teamed up with Phil Baron as Willio and Phillio.Cleveland Jewish News They had regular gigs on television, radio and comedy clubs and universities throughout the U.S.. They later paired up again voicing characters of best friends Teddy Ruxpin (Baron) and Grubby the Octopede (Ryan) in the Teddy Ruxpin book and tape series as well as the 1986-87 television show The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin. In August 2002, Willio and Phillio returned to Cleveland for two performances at historic Cain Park and another at the famed Beachland Ballroom. At the Cain Park show, friend Alec Nordstrom of Hudson was invited onstage. Cleveland's revered rock critic and "world's oldest teenager," Jane Scott, attended and reviewed the Beachland performance for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Willio and Phillio act brought Ryan back into music and after moving to California, he began to write and record songs for The Walt Disney Company. Willio and Phillio performed "I Wish it Could Be Christmas All Year Long" on a Disney Christmas album in a voice similar to Micky Dolenz of The Monkees. He provided the voices of Rabbit and Tigger, and the singing voice of Eeyore, in the Disney Channel's long-running series Welcome to Pooh Corner and in many other Pooh cartoons. He also provided the voice of Barnaby the Dog on the popular series Dumbo's Circus. In 1987, Ryan became a fixture of the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey, as Eugene Meltsner, Harlow Doyle, David Harley, Patrick O'Ryan and over 100 individual characters. He voiced Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, Digit in An American Tail, Petrie in The Land Before Time, and Willie the Giant in Mickey's Christmas Carol. He continues to do voice work. In 2009, he was working on the third season of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the 21st season of Adventures in Odyssey, and the new radio series of Will Ryan's Cactus County Round-Up. In the Family Guy episode "Road to the North Pole", he provided the voice for Winnie-the-Pooh. As a side project, with Andrew J. Lederer and Michael Rosenberg (Jackie Diamond), Will Ryan briefly performed in the '20s-style music and comedy trio The Merry Metronomes. He and Lederer also appeared from time to time as a duo, usually under the name The Natty Nabobs. He and Nick Santa Maria also perform occasionally as a vaudeville-era comedy team, Biffle & Shooster (Ryan plays the latter), and in 2013 they made their first film, a faux 1930s comedy short titled It's a Frame-Up!. Selected filmography Film *''Mickey's Christmas Carol'' - Mole, Willie the Giant, Pete, Big Bad Wolf, Weasel #2 (1983) *''Frog and Toad Are Friends'' (1985) *''An American Tail'' - Digit (1986) *''Frog and Toad Together'' (1987) *''The Land Before Time'' - Petrie (1988) *''Stanley and the Dinosaurs'' - (1989) *''The Little Mermaid'' - Seahorse (1989) *''Rock-a-Doodle'' - Stuey (1991) *''Thumbelina'' - Hero, Reverend Rat, Goat (1994) *''A Troll in Central Park'' - Boss, Guard (1994) *''The Pebble and the Penguin'' - Royal, Tika (1995) *''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' - Papa Bear (2003) *''Get a Horse!'' - Peg-Leg Pete (2013) *''It's a Frame-Up!'' - Sam Shooster (2013) *''The Biffle Murder Case'' - Sam Shooster (2015) *''Bride of Finklestein'' - Sam Shooster (2015) *''Schmo Boat'' - Sam Shooster (2015) *''Imitation of Wife'' - Sam Shooster (2015) Radio * Adventures in Odyssey - Eugene Meltsner (1987 - 2000, 2005–Present) Television *''Welcome to Pooh Corner'' - Rabbit, Tigger, Eeyore (singing) (1983) *''Dumbo's Circus'' - Barnaby (1985) *''Wuzzles'' - Additional Voices (1985) *''Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears'' - Additional Voices (1985-1991) *''Sport Goofy in Soccermania'' - Scrooge McDuck, Beagle Boys and Gyro Gearloose (1987) *''Mother Goose's Treasury'' - Bertram the Goose (1987) *''DuckTales'' - Pete/Sharkey, Dangerous Dan (1987) *''Garfield and Friends'' (episode 88 "Ghost of a Chance", as McKraven (or McCraven) The Ghost) (1992) *''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' - The Duck Brothers (Due the Liverpudlian accent he gave the ducks, many confuse his voice for Ringo Starr's) *''Disney's House of Mouse'' - Willie the Giant (2001–2003) *''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'' (2004) *''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'' - Willie the Giant (2006–2016) *''Family Guy'' (episode Road to the North Pole) - Winnie the Pooh (2010) Discography *''Eugene Sings!'' *''Eugene Sings! Christmas'' *''Am I Cool or What?'' *''Goin' Quackers'' *''Elmo Aardvark: Outer Space Detective!'' *''Elmo Aardvark: Vintage Cartoon Sound Tracks'' *''Elmo Aardvark: Classic Cartoon Soundtracks'' *''Classic Songs for Leonard Reed's Shim Sham Shimmy'' *''Adventures in Odyssey'' (Eugene Meltsner/Harlow Doyle) References Sources *[http://www.answers.com/topic/am-i-cool-or-what-children-album?cat=entertainment Credits for album, Am I Cool or What? featuring Ryan compositions], Answers.com, Retrieved on February 10, 2008. *Interview with Ryan The Phantom Tollbooth, Retrieved on March 26, 2008. *List of Walt Disney Records artists Mouse Tracks The Story of Walt Disney Records, Retrieved on April 24, 2008. External links *http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3428100170.html * * Category:1939 births Category:Living people Category:American male comedians Category:American male singers Category:American singers Category:American male radio actors Category:American male voice actors Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Male actors from Cleveland Category:20th-century American male actors Category:21st-century American male actors Category:Comedians from Ohio Category:20th-century American comedians Category:21st-century American comedians